Convertible sleeping unit



y 2 .1955 w. TUCKER 2,708,756

CONVERTIBLE SLEEPING UNIT Filed- Nov. 16 1951 WILLIAM TUCKER INVENTOR.

Allen's United States Patent CONVERTIBLE SLEEPING UNIT William Tucker, Port Credit, Ontario, Canada Application November 16, 1951, Serial vNo. 256,723

Claims. .'(Cl. 5-14) The present invention relates to a convertible sleeping unit comprising a sofa and a single bed of respectively standard proportions combined into a single structure having especial utility in restricted living quarters such as hotel rooms where space is at a premium and where one room is regularly required .to serve as a sitting room by day and as a bed room by night.

While convertible sleeping units have been well-known for many years past, they mostly and primarily comprised sofas which were equipped to render occasional service as auxiliary beds. Thus, neither their inherent lack of comfort in the latter capacity nor the difiiculties attendant upon their conversion from one capacity to the other constituted serious disadvantages particularly in ordinary domestic establishments wherein they were only infrequently used for sleeping. However, in those locations Where convertible sleeping units are regularly used for both sitting and'sleeping purposes, neither comfort nor convenience can be overlooked and hence the devices of the prior art have been utterly unable to meet the minimum requirements thereof.

For comfort, the width of a single bed should be no less than from 36 to 40 inches, while that of a sofa seat should not exceed twenty-four inches. On the other hand, the optimum height of a sofa seat is substantially greater than that of a bed. Thus, an ordinary couch or lounge suitably proportioned for sitting is both too igh and too narrow to serve as a proper bed. On the other hand, if it were widened and/or lowered it would be uncomfortable in its other capacity.

Obviously, therefore, to render satisfactory service in either capacity a convertible sleeping unit must possess facilities which are not only of standard proportions but which are capable of rapid and easy conversion; this being the principal object sought to be achieved by the present invention.

In addition thereto, it is also an object of the invention to provide a convertible sleeping unit of the character described wherein the sofa is supported on a rela tively immovable structure and is adapted to rotate thereon so as either to overlie the bed or to uncover and expose it thereby converting the device into a sofa or a bed respectively.

It is also an important object of the invention to provide a structure of the character described capable of functioning as a sofa, notwithstanding that the bed heneath it is completely, or almost completely or Yl'lOlZ at all .made up; the change from one capacity to the other being effective by a single, simple, operation.

The foregoing and other objects of the invention are achieved by the means described in the hereinafter :following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention which .is illustrated, by way .of example only, .in the annexed drawings wherein like reference devices refer :to cor-responding par-tsiof the invention throughout the various views and wherein:

Fig. .1 is a view in front elevation .of the instant convertible sleeping unit,

Fig. 2 is a section therethrough along the line 11-11 in ,Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a section through the convertible sleeping unit in the plane suggested by the line IiI-III in Fig. 1 showing one end of the immovable structure hereinbefore referred to, one end of the bed and certain mechanism; the sofa being outlined by broken lines at one stage in its rotation,

Fig. 4 is a view corresponding to Fig. 3 but showing the relation of the parts at a later stage in the rotation of the sofa,

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of one end of the bed alone and without its mattress, but including certain parts of the immovable structure,

Fig. 6 is an isometric broken skeleton view of the immovable structure, the sofa, and certain other parts, and

Fig. 7 is a front elevational view of the inner surface of one of the bed parts, namely the headboard.

The convertible sleeping unit of the present invention is comprised of three principal sub-assemblies, namely: a chassis C, a sofa S, and a bedstead B; the sofa S being rotatably mounted on the chassis C and equipped with means for moving the bedstead B in the direction of its width as the sofa S is rotated.

Dealing firstly with the chassis C, it comprises a skeleton structure which stands on the floor and which includes a pair of symmetrical upright end rack frames iii-1d joined together in spaced apart and parallel relation by bottom rails 1111 and by a top shelf 12. As will be seen from the drawing, each end frame it is a quadrilateral structure having a truncated right-angular conformation and includes a side member 13 which slopes rearwardly from the bottom to the top thereof.

The sofa S broadly comprises an upholstered seat 24) and back 2i which are adapted to be moved in unison. The present construction thereof visualizes a pair of rigid crank-shaped end-plates 22-22, each having a horizontal branch 23, and a vertical branch 24. A rail 25 joins the mid-areas thereof in spaced relation and another rail 25 joins their uppermost ends; a frame for the back upholstery being thus formed. The seat stufling comprises a molded rubber pad 26 of suitable conformation which is secured by a front drop 27 to another rail 25 which joins the front ends of the plates 2222 and underlies the pad 26. A skirt 28 aiso hangs from the front edge of the seat 2%; its object being to conceal the bedstead B. For reasons which will duly appear, it should be observed that the over-all length of the sofa S is such as will enable it to fit between the chassis frames l010.

The bedstead B comprises the usual head and footboards, hereinafter referred to as panels 30-30, and a framed spring 31 which is fastened thereto through spacers 32 substantially as shown; the arrangement being such as to leave an open passageway 33 between each panel 30 and spring 31 within which a chassis frame 10 is adapted to be substantially wholly contained as shown in Fig. 5. The passageways 3333 occur at one side of the bedstead B which may be regarded as the back thereof. In order to enable the free lateral movement of the bedstead B it is in this case equipped with casters 34. A slot 35 is formed on the inner face of each panel 30 adjacent and parallel to the back edge thereof; the slots 35-35 confronting each other in the bedstead B.

As has been stated, the sofa S is required to be mounted for rotation on'the chassis C. In this case this is effected by means of an elongated straight bar lever 40 fastened to the exterior surface of each horizontal plate branch 23 and extending from the front edge of the sofa seat 20 rearwardly beyond the back 21. Each lever 4d has .a projecting trunnion 41 which is approximately coaxial with the vertex formed by the seat '20 and back 21.

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3 The trunnions 41--41 fit into corresponding bearings 42-42 provided on the inclined side members 13-13 of the chassis frames 10 thus enabling the sofa S to be rotated.

The back of the chassis C is equipped with stops 43-43 for engaging the rear ends 4444 of the levers ill-49 in order to prevent the sofa seat from dropping below the horizontal position; there being no interference with the raising thereof.

The dimensions and arrangement of the parts are such that the bedstead B and its mattress M are adapted to fit comfortably beneath the sofa seat 20 when the latter is horizontally disposed; the bedstead B being wide enough to extend substantially from the front edge of the sofa S to the rear of the chassis C, and its panels CHI- being high enough to serve as arms for the sofa S.

The rear end 44 of each lever 40 has a projecting roller stud 45 which is slidably contained in the slot of the contiguous bedstead panel 30. Thus, the mere act of turning up the sofa seat 20 will not only partially expose the bedstead B but, the corresponding swing of the levers 46, coupled with the action of the studs 45 in slots 35-35 will cause the bedstead B to be rolled forward on its casters 3 and thus completely exposed for use. Conversely, when the sofa seat 20 is lowered, the bedstead B will be retired to its former concealed position. Thus, as will be seen, the conversion of the invention from a sofa to a bed is achieved by the mere lifting of the sofa seat 20 from horizontal to vertical positions; its reconversion being effected by a simple reverse procedure.

The ease which attends the performance of these operations can be gauged and understood from the drawing and from a recognition of the fact that, while the axis upon which the sofa S rotates is along the juncture of its seat and its back, the width of the former is somewhat greater than the height of the latter. Thus, the back 21 is slightly over-balanced by the seat 2% thereby, on the one hand, preventing undesired rotation and on the other hand reducing the exertion actually required for conversion.

Attention is also called to the fact that when the sofa seat 26 is turned up, its final resting place is against the top shelf 12 which places it somewhat beyond the perpendicular neutral point and thus prevents it from inadvertently falling back.

Amongst the other features which are deemed to merit some emphasis, is the fact that the studs 4545 constitute the ends of a tie rod 45 which also links the ends 44-44- of the levers 40-46 to prevent any undesirable movement thereof relative to each other. This feature is of some importance in view of the relatively short purchase that the studs 454S necessarily have in the panel slots 3535 and the consequent danger of their disengagement in the event that the lever ends 4444 are allowed to bend towards each other. It should, per haps, also be observed that the studs 45-45 operate within the vertical plane of the frames 10-10.

By the means hereinbefore described, the invention has made available a full-fledged, as distinguished from a makeshift, bed and has provided a sofa which is not compromised in any way by reason of its association with a bed; the proportions and features of each facility being substantially the same as they would be if they were not incorporated in a device of the present character. It is also noteworthy that the conversion mechanism herein visualized is of the simplest order, avoiding the many complicated and expensive actions, levers and counterpoises of the prior art thereby providing a structure which, although simple and economical to make, is yet positive, foolproof and eflicient in operation.

Apart from the foregoing, the invention also offers other incidental but important conveniences to institutions such as hotels. The mere fact that the sofa is adapted to conceal the bed, irrespective of its condition, great- 1y simplifies the work of the hotel chambermaid and rids it of a great deal of its urgency. This feature, for example, now renders it unnecessary for a hotel featuring convertible sleeping units to maintain a large night staff for the making of the beds at bedtime inasmuch as the beds can be made at some convenient time during the day and so left in concealment until required; it being a simple matter for a hotel room occupant to personally expose the bed. Conversely, if the occupant desires to use the room as a sitting room at an early hour, the ease with which the disarranged bed can be put completely out of sight renders it unnecessary to obtain the services of a chambermaid for the purpose. It is principally for this latter object, incidentally, that the seat pad 25 is fastened down solely by its front edge, since it is thereby enabled to accommodate itself to any irregularities on the mattress M.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a convertible sleeping unit, the combination of a chassis adapted to stand upon the floor and having frame members at its ends; a movable bedstead including end panels and a mattress support interconnected therebetween to allow the frame members to fit between the mattress support and the respective end panels; a sofa including a seat trunnioned on the said frame members to rotate between horizontal and vertical positions about an axis located above the horizontal plane of the mattress support adjacent and parallel to the rear edge of the sofa seat; a lever carried by each end of the sofa seat and extending outwardly therefrom, and means for effecting a sliding connection between the free ends of the levers and the respective bedstead panels to move the bedstead laterally as a unit when the sofa seat is rotated.

2. In a convertible sleeping unit, the combination of a chassis adapted to stand upon the floor and having frame members at its ends; a movable bedstead including end panels and a mattress support interconnected therebetween to allow the frame members to fit between the mattress support and the respective end panels; a sofa including a seat trunnioned on the said frame members to rotate between horizontal and vertical positions about an axis located above the horizontal plane of the mattress support adjacent and parallel to the rear edge of the sofa seat; a lever carried by each end of the sofa seat and extending outwardly therefrom, and slots in the bedstead panels in which the free ends of the said lovers are respectively slidably engageable to move the bedstead laterally as a unit when the sofa seat is rotated.

3. In a convertible sleeping unit, the combination of a pair of frames of truncated right-angular conformation being wider at the bottom than at the top and having inclined side members interconnecting the respective bottoms and tops; means connecting the frames in spaced apart relation to form a chassis; a movable bedstead including end panels and a mattress support interconnected therebetween to allow the inclined members to fit between the mattress support and the respective end panels; a sofa including a seat trunnioned on the said inclined members to rotate between horizontal and vertical positions about an axis located above the horizontal plane of the mattress support adjacent and parallel to the rear edge of the sofa seat; a lever carried by each end of the sofa seat and extending outwardly therefrom, and means for effecting a sliding connection between the free ends of the levers and the respective bedstead panels to move the bedstead laterally as a unit when the sofa bed is rotated.

4. In a convertible sleeping unit, the combination of a pair of frames of truncated right-angular conformation being wider at the bottom than at the top and having inclined side members interconnecting the respective bottoms and tops; means connecting the frames in spaced apart relation to form a chassis; a sofa including a seat intermediately trunnioned on said inclined side members to rotate between horizontal and vertical positions about horizontal to the rear of the chassis, a mattress support 5 capable of fitting between the chassis frames and connected to the said panels to allow the chassis frames to fit between the panels and the mattress support with the horizontal plane of the latter below the corresponding plane of the sofa seat, and levers connecting the sofa 10 seat to the said panels to move the bedstead laterally as a unit when the sofa seat is rotated.

5. In a convertible sleeping unit, the combination of a pair of frames; means uniting the frames in spaced relation to form a chassis; a sofa having a seat mounted on 15 the said chassis between the frames for movement between two positions; a bedstead movably situated below the sofa, the bedstead including a mattress support and end panels between which the chassis frames are adapted to be contained, and levers attached to the sofa and engaging the bedstead panels rendering the movement of the bedstead automatically responsive to the movement of the sofa whereby the movement of the latter from one of its positions to the other will procure a corresponding movement of the bedstead.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,011,440 Karpen Dec. 12, 1911 1,271,955 Sisbower et a1 July 9, 1918 2,081,374 Hall et a1 May 25, 1937 2,197,735 Thomas Apr. 16, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS 20,783 Sweden Oct. 24, 1905 28,587 Norway Feb. 11, 1918 

